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Catalytic Reforming Process by UOP

The UOP CCR Platforming process is used throughout the world in the petroleum and petrochemical industries. It produces feed for an aromatics complex or a high-octane gasoline blending product and a significant amount of hydrogen.

Hydrotreated naphtha feed is combined with recycle hydrogen gas and heat exchanged against reactor effluent. The combined feed is then raised to reaction temperature in the charge heater and sent to the reactor section.

Radial-flow reactors are arranged in a vertical stack. The predominant reactions are endothermic; so an interheater is used between each reactor to reheat the charge to reaction temperature. The effluent from the last reactor is heat exchanged against combined feed, cooled and split into vapor and liquid products in a separator. The vapor phase is hydrogen-rich. A portion of the gas is compressed and recycled back to the reactors. The net hydrogen-rich gas is compressed and charged together with the separator liquid phase to the product recovery section. This section is engineered to provide optimum performance.

Catalyst flows vertically by gravity down the reactor stack. Over time, coke builds up on the catalyst at reaction conditions. Partially deactivated catalyst is continually withdrawn from the bottom of the reactor stack and transferred to the CCR regenerator.

Efficiency/product quality: Commercial onstream efficiencies of more than 97% are routinely achieved in CCR Platforming units.